January 3rd, 2022

On Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, this isn’t some principled conservative revolt against Kevin McCarthy or some battle over conservatism. 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy for Speaker of the House through two ballots, and 20 after a third ballot. This isn’t about supporting McCarthy – the American people are sick and tired of watching a small group of Republicans do this in Congress. We want the Biden administration investigated now and our borders secured now, and the country is on the edge. The Freedom caucus negotiated new rules, but still won’t take yes for an answer, and some like Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs just hate McCarthy and refuse to vote for him. If Jim Jordan were in line or running for speaker that would be one thing, but he has nominated McCarthy on every ballot. We need to take on Democrats now, and these Republicans are weakening the very thin majority they have in the House because people are getting disgusted with their inaction. Also, Ron DeSantis’ re-election as Florida’s Governor is not getting the national attention it deserves. He’s already under attack by the leftist media like the Miami Herald and getting smeared.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP

The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.

Rough transcript of Hour 1

Hour 1 Segment 1

Man, it’s great to be back. I’ve been chomping at the bit. Champing at the bit. You know, folks, when things are written quickly on an iPhone and the iPhone changes the words and they’re posted and so forth, sometimes there’s typos, right, Mr. Producer? It’s the nature of the beast. We all know that’s the way it goes. First things first, I want to congratulate Governor DeSantis on his swearing in. We had family members there and friends. I wish I could have participated, but it was my time to come back. And that’s just a wonderful thing. So I wanted to point that out. You know, I can do the predictable. I can come behind this microphone and beat my chest and pat myself in the back of the head and try and demonstrate that I’m a bigger right winger than the next guy. And I can just beat the hell out of Kevin McCarthy. I could beat the hell out of Kevin McCarthy as I have in the past. As I do with McConnell, as I did with Paul Ryan, as I did with Boehner, for whom I was public enemy number one, and frankly worked with Mark Meadows back then to help remove Banner. But this isn’t some conservative revolt, ladies and gentlemen. This isn’t some principled revolt. I heard my friend Chip Roy speak and I said, okay, we’re all against an open border. We’re all against what’s happening with fentanyl. We know all the issues that are driving us crazy and and that we want to confront and deal with. And yet my talk with at least three members of the Freedom Caucus over the weekend, and one of whom I’ve spoken to over a period of a couple of weeks, demonstrates to me. This has nothing to do with that. So I could come behind this microphone and pretend I know what’s going on. Without doing my work, without digging into it. But I’m telling you what’s going on. At least five members of this group were negotiating. He’d become chairman or subcommittee chairman in exchange for their votes. To help the country. To help their party or to help themselves. Matt Gage was accused of saying in front of a number of people. He’s denying it now. But I’d like to know the truth. That if Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker, who cares? Because all will do is vote against all his wishes. Did he say it or didn’t he? I have no idea. There are others who want to changes. One in particular who wanted to be in charge of. All decisions come to the legal briefs and legal objectives of the House. Republicans want to get involved and not to get involved in cases. And the individuals. Not even a lawyer. And I could go on and on. You have members of the original five, this guy. Good, who won by the skin of his teeth. And Virginia. Who took $2 million from McCarthy’s campaign. Our friend Lauren Boebert. I do consider a friend. She took almost 1.9 million and I’m glad they did. But then to say you’re against the swap and you’re going to stand up against the swap. I’ve got a lot more to say about this. First of all, social media is a cancer. I post there. But I do not get involved in the comments. And so people send me these comments. Please stop sending me the comments. I never knew you were a rhino. I never knew you were a sellout. I never knew you supported McCarthy. This is why so many people on TV and radio are knee jerk. They don’t want to have to be attacked and deal with it. I don’t care. What’s right is right. This isn’t about supporting McCarthy, quote unquote. They were going to be on their fourth ballot tonight and they don’t have a candidate. They keep nominating Jim Jordan as Jim Jordan a RINO as Jim Jordan a sellout. Well, why do they keep voting for him? Not 20 of them voted for Jim Jordan. Did Jim Jordan not go to the floor of the House and nominate the second time? Kevin McCarthy. I didn’t nominate Kevin McCarthy. He nominated Kevin McCarthy. A second time, voted for him three times. Says he is not interested. I’m not doing that. He’s doing that. The choice isn’t between McCarthy and Jordan. There is no choice between McCarthy and anybody. Andy Biggs got ten votes. Out of the Freedom Caucus. There are 44 or 45 members of the Freedom Caucus, depending on how you count. 20 of them voted for Jordan, which means 24 or 25 of them voted for McCarthy. This isn’t a battle over conservatism. You know, it reminds me of the Marxist left. They wrap themselves in the safe, self-righteous arguments. The American people are sick and tired of this. The American people are sick and tired of that. Yes, we are. And we’re sick and tired of what we watch today. Get on with it. We want the Bidens investigated now. We want the border secured now. And down the list. Now, the house isn’t going to get everything it wants because it has to deal with McConnell in the Senate. It’s got to deal with the executive branch. But go on offense when you’re fighting like this. To what end? I’m not clear. That doesn’t appear to be a winning strategy. It doesn’t appear to be a winning strategy. So I guess the rhinos include Massie from Kentucky who voted for McCarthy. Mooney from West Virginia. Who voted for McCarthy. Jordan himself. They keep nominating. I guess he’s ultimately a rhino, too. We just didn’t know it. McClintock from California, one of the most solid members ever. Banks from Indiana. Palmer from Alabama, and I can go down the list. Meanwhile. Who’s Ogles? Who’s Rosendale? Who’s south. Who’s Crane? Who’s Clyde? Who’s Cloud? Who’s breech? Him. Seriously. They’re the conservatives I’m rallying around. Well, who are they? What have they ever done? Nothing. No, no, no. You don’t understand. We got to rally around those guys. Why? Rally round. People haven’t done anything. Who? I don’t even know. Who you don’t even know. That’s half of the 20. Because we know Biggs led the effort against convention of states in Arizona and abused the rules in the state Senate when he was president to block the vote. Wow. There’s there’s Biggs gets his ten big votes. I don’t even know what Gates has ever done other than give good speeches and and rail against witnesses. And a big pom pom carrier for Paul Ryan early on. Again, I’m just pointing this out. I’m not going to come to the radio. You know, this stuff’s good. We shouldn’t be. What are you talking about? What? Stuff’s good? We know what the problems are in this country. And we know who the problem people are in this country. The leaders. The party members. We got it. We know. We don’t need to be taught that lesson. Marjorie Taylor GREENE. She’s with reporters today on Capitol Hill. And here’s what she said when she came out of a meeting with them. These are the various opponents, and I think it was McCarthy and others. Cut one, Go. We have been negotiating, talking, debating back and forth in our conference, trying to come to a really good package. And it’s amazing. As a matter of fact, I’ll quote Matt Hayes. He said, it’s exquisite. That’s what he said on our conference call on Sunday. But in that conference meeting there, we found out that there were several members, three, in fact, that went in last night and were demanding positions for themselves, demanding gavel concessions, demanding subcommittees, demanding for people to be taken off committees and people to be put on committees. Three, three Republicans out of our 222. I want you all to know I have not done that for myself. The only thing I have done is it is debate and and request and argue amongst my peers for the right things, for the rules package and for our agenda for the American people. And that’s the only thing I’ve done. I haven’t asked for one thing for my for myself. And I’m the only Republican that has zero committees. So you would think I would be the one in there asking for something. But I haven’t done that. But I find out that it’s my Freedom Caucus colleagues and my supposed friends that went and did that. And they asked nothing for me. Nothing. That’s what I found out in there. I’m furious. Let me tell you something. While the conservatives that the base supports and believe in, let me let me remind everyone they’re not perfect either. Scott Perry, before his general election, refuse to vote against the bill that was all about the gay marriage bill. He didn’t, but he he refused to vote against it. He voted for it. Then when it came back around after his election, he was able to vote against it. Conservatives would not like that. Let me remind everyone this Matt Smith compared Kevin McCarthy to Paul Ryan, my friend Matt Gaetz. He supported Paul Ryan almost more than anyone. It’s still on his social media. As a matter of fact, his first vote in Congress was for Paul Ryan as speaker, and then he cheered him on for nearly a year and a half or more when people like me were at home furious at Paul Ryan’s speakership because it wasn’t passing the MAGA agenda that we are supporting. Chip Roy He refused to object on January six. That’s not what our base wanted. He also sat out the vote for the January six committee. There’s many more, Bob Good. $2 million for Kevin McCarthy to get elected. Lauren Boebert under $2 million from Kevin McCarthy to get elected. Many more people have taken care of McCarthy’s money to get elected. And then there’s a few of them that don’t want to support him as speaker. So imagine that this is not anything about the country. This is all about never, Kevin. They just don’t like Kevin McCarthy. You cannot be successful in anything if you aren’t able to walk it around, make your own, make what you want and get a deal done, and then walk away with the W and get to work and not worry about who you like and who you don’t like. This is not about prom king. This is not about a pastor. This is about electing a person to sit in the speaker’s chair so that we can all get to work. And out of 222 Republicans, let me remind everyone, there’s 218 votes to get something passed. That means all of us are powerful, every single faction in the Republican Party. So there is not going to be a tiny little group that is going to demand their way because they want subcommittee chairs and they want certain power positions. That is not how this works. And that is the worst thing they can do for the country. And I’m furious over it. Now, I don’t know that woman. I’ve never spoken to her in my life. I’ve never been a greatest fan of hers. But there she speaks, I think, in a very wise way. A very wise way. There is nobody in the House of Representatives. Who’s more of a libertarian, more than a constitutionalist. Then Tom Massie of Kentucky. Period. And I don’t always agree with him because he’s, in my view, sometimes more libertarian than conservative. But so what? He’s voting for McCarthy. It’s not because he agrees with McCarthy. Because he knows the country is on the edge. The country’s on the edge. Well, Mark, we can wait two or three days. You’re weakening the position of speaker under the Republicans. You’re showing Biden, you’re showing the FBI, you’re showing foreign nations, you’re showing the Democrats, you’re showing McConnell the Senate, that whomever becomes the Republican speaker is going to be weak. It’ll take a handful of Republicans to stop that speaker. And you may not always agree with those handful of Republicans. This is why the chest beating and the back rubbing and the head touching by some TV and radio hosts is so putrid and frustrating. I was involved in three presidential primaries. One more, but personally, all three for Reagan. I don’t have a problem with a fight and going on the right to win a fight. More when I return.

Hour 1 Segment 2

Let’s all follow Higgs. Bishop Breach and cloud. Fly crane. On and on and on. People we don’t even know. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t do stuff like that. I think for myself. Don’t you? And this idea that these are the true conservatives making the true fight. And if you don’t agree with them, then you must support McCarthy’s views and so forth. It is so stupid. It’s an embarrassment. It’s an absurdity. I mean, you got Jim Crow. Why is Jim Jordan backing McCarthy? Why is Jim Jordan nominating McCarthy? Why is Donald Trump backing McCarthy? Thomas Massie, What’s that all about? Jim Banks and Tom McClintock. Are they all sellouts? Do they know something? I don’t know and you don’t know? I mean, Steve Miller, Charlie Kirk, and we all salons and we are rhinos is at it because how many of these. No names. We’re supposed to follow them.

Hour 1 Segment 3

You keep hearing about these rule changes. Rule changes. These rule changes that they want. Well, let’s go with that. Does anybody share them with you? No, I don’t think they have. Why? Well, it’s easier just to pat yourself in the head and scream at the microphone. And this is in part from the Hill and other sources that I’ve pulled together, public sources. They spent a lot of time, the Republicans discussing the motion to vacate the chair, which is the mechanism for ousting the speaker. Until four years ago, any member could file a privilege motion to vacate the chair. When a measure is privileged, it could be brought up for a vote over the objection of the leadership. Freedom Caucus members used the motion of vacate in 2015. No, Mark Meadows did because I worked with him to help force out then Speaker John Boehner. McCarthy ran for speaker but then dropped out just before the conference nomination vote amid opposition from the same Freedom Caucus. Democrats change the motion to vacate the role in 2019 after tacking back, taking back the majority to say it’s only privileged if offered at the direction of party, caucus or conference, because obviously they didn’t want to take out Pelosi. Now, Freedom members wanted to restore the old rule, but the rules package keeps the current rule in place with a key exception. Listen to this. Languages added that would allow a motion of vacate to be privileged if only five members of the majority party sign on to the resolution. That means five Republicans. These same five could band together and force a vote on ousting McCarthy or whomever the House elect speaker. That’s what they said they wanted. That’s what they got. That’s how you hold his feet to the fire. Just like that. It’s hard to get five members we see. It’s not hard to get five members. And they got it. But that’s not enough. What else? Another rules designed to limit those to a single subject. Specifically, the new rule would prohibit members from introducing bills or joint resolutions after February one without including a statement for the Congressional Record designating a single subject of the legislation. Another change is a ban on the Rules Committee practice of waiving points of order against amendments that violate that House are germane This rule. In other words, the amendment needs to be germane to the legislation. Instead, the package creates a new rule requiring the House to vote on any motions to waive dreaminess for an amendment after up to 20 minutes of debate. So he’s completely opening up the system. McCarthy has also agreed to not waive an existing House rule requiring those to be released at least three days, 72 hours before a House floor vote. Virginia GOP Representative Morgan Griffith, a Freedom Caucus member who’d been undecided on hoodie support for speaker, said in a statement. He went back McCarthy after he agreed to this single subject and strictly germane. This rules. I believe these changes can dramatically improve our legislative process, he said, because Leader McCarthy agreed to these rule changes. I’ve agreed to vote for Speaker of the House. Now what you see is that a lot of what McCarthy has done and the other leadership, whomever they are, have done. Less than half of the Freedom Caucus is now voting against. In other words, they negotiated. That is the freedom call. We want some of these rules and okay, we negotiated. Here’s some of the rules. But they won’t take yes for an answer. And one of the Freedom Caucus guys told me. That some of them, like Gates, just hate McCarthy and there’s not a damn thing they can be done, at least right now, to get them to vote for him. Biggs is another one. It’s that simple. It’s that simple. There’s nothing he can do. And so they’re using the tightness of the vote to even scores. The rule package also sets up a vote on resolution to establish a select Judiciary subcommittee. To centralize investigations into the executive branch called the Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. You folks who really listen to this program and understand it rather than the commenters on the Twitter and so forth. You might recall I discussed this with Jim Jordan. Remember that, Mr. Producer? That they ought to have a special committee, subcommittee, something. Where all the investigations are focused and centralized because that way the overlay will assist them both in terms of resources and in terms of the knowledge base. So they’ve agreed to that. This new rules package also returned some House rules Republicans had when they were in the majority that Democrats got rid of in 2019. It eliminates a few rules Democrats had in place for the past two Congresses. Several of those are budget related rules that Republicans feel better adhere to their spending and tax priorities. The GOP replaced Democrats preferred pay as you go rule, which requires legislation adding to the deficit be offset by spending cuts or tax increases with a cut as you go. A rule that only requires offsets of bills increase mandatory spending. Well, so in other words, you have to cut spending. If you add new spending, not raise taxes or deficit spending that’s in there. Also on the tax cutting, spare Republicans would restore a rule requiring a 3/5 supermajority vote to pass any tax increases. That, by the way, is in the Liberty Amendments. This is largely has been obviously not largely, but completely rejected by the Democrats. Another rule that could help Republicans with tax cuts require the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Listen to this. To incorporate macro economic effects like changes in economic output and employment into their official cost estimates for major legislation to the extent practicable. So in other words, like this, this covert money that went out with the massive subsidies of individuals not to work, they would be required now to report on what that impact would be on the economy and on the labor force. Similar rule applies to the same definition. Okay, that doesn’t apply. The rule package will get rid of Democrats. Gephardt Rule. This is all public information. Nobody slipped me the information. All you have to do if you’re a host is lock it up. That would allow the House to automatically send a measure extending the debt limit to the Senate when it adopts a budget resolution. It would reinstate the home and rule, which allows members to offer appropriation amendments targeting the jobs or salaries of federal employees. A new rule would require any appropriation bills reported to the floor to include a spending reduction account to state whether the measures budget authority exceeds the subcommittee allocations. What they’re concerned about is you get the subcommittee hearings and votes. It goes to the full committee. So everybody’s blown off. The subcommittee in the full committee adds whatever it wants. This rule would say, no, it can’t do that. The package restores two budget points of order, one that can be raised against amendments to. So you can see there is level after level after level of fiscal responsibility and control. What else? Directing the January six Select Committee, which is not being renewed to transfer all its records to the House Administration Committee by January 17. None of this can be done, by the way. Not one piece of the while these battles are going on. Establishing a select oversight subcommittee with up to 12 majority members and five minority members to investigate the origins of the Corona pandemic and make legislative recommendations reducing the minimum time for floor votes from 5 minutes to 2 minutes so he can actually get more votes. Change it in the name of two committees. Oversight and reform would be oversight and accountability and educational labor would be education in the workforce. Requiring each standing committee except appropriations, ethics and rules to adopt an authorization of oversight plan for submission to the Oversight and House Administration Committees. Directing the Ethics Committee to establish a process for members of the public to flag potential violations. Requiring the speaker to establish a bipartisan task force to review House ethics rules and regs and submit a report on recommended improvements. Excuse me, allowing only non-government witnesses to participate in hearings remotely, meaning government officials must testify in person, striking a rule allowing the Washington, D.C. mayor and governors of U.S. territories access to the House chamber, directing House officials to broaden the availability of documents in machine readable formats, continuing improving the electronic document repository for committee documents so they can read what they how they’re voting on. Establishing rules for considering various bills Republicans plan to take up in early January. And more. And they’re still fighting. And so you get people boneheads. In and out of the media, in and out of the house, in and out of the Republican Party. Who don’t share this information with you because they don’t want you to realize exactly what’s taking place. That all the principal conservatives are not one of the 20 all of the 20, that there are serious, principled conservatives. Who are voting as part of the significant majority. And one to institute the rules. Want to get the investigations underway? Do not. Do not want to bended the demands of a relative handful of members who are making personal demands to empower themselves in many cases. If this is bothering you. If you are wanting one of the many who are contacting me, sending, what are they doing? If you understand, this isn’t about conservatism, but it’s about power. It’s about power. Then the people in this audience need to get on their phones. They get on their emails, however you communicate with your member of Congress. I’m talking about Republican members of Congress now and in a civil way. Civil way to communicate with them and tell them you’ve had enough. If Jim Jordan were in fact. And in line or running for speaker. That would be one thing. But he’s nominated McCarthy. And if there were a true leader among these 20. Some of them are would be leaders in the future, in my view, a couple of them, not many. That’s great. But we need to take on the enemy now. We are literally weakening the very thin majority. They have in the house. It’s just a matter of time till the public. But even more, the base turns on these people because they’re going to be disgusted with the inaction. And let me tell you something. Biden and his people have already been already been empowered by this. When I wasn’t here, I saw this piece in Politico White House to Jim Jordan and James Colmer. Sorry, but you have to restart your oversight requests all over again. In other words, they’re giving them the middle finger and they’re saying you’re not even in the majority on a committee yet. You don’t even have a majority staff. We’re going to ignore everything you sent us when you were in the minority because you did not represent the majority in the House. Therefore, you did not represent the House. So that process now is going to be months and months and months behind as Biden and the Democrats drag their feet on. These matters have to get resolved, sometimes in court, sometimes not. And guess what? If they hold somebody in contempt of Congress, I seriously doubt the Department of Justice is going to prosecute them. What do you think? Meanwhile, the executive branch rolls on the war on Trump war zone wears on, the attacks on pro-lifers, go on the open borders, go on and on and on and on. And the idea that all of a sudden they’re going to have a new leader, a leader, whomever, filming the blank names we’ve never heard of before. Who’s going to be more effective and stronger at fighting this stuff is nuts. Who is it? Who is he? Who is she? We get to have a say, too, don’t we? So if you’re concerned that every day that goes by, we’re losing our freedoms, we’re losing ground when losing our country. I would encourage you to get on the phone, get on your email. Contact your member of Congress immediately if their Republican of their Democrat doesn’t matter in this case because time’s running out. Oh, and by the way, before I left here during the holidays. I pointed out that certain rhinos and so-called moderate Democrats, of which there are none, actually. We’re going to be talking about a way to have sort of a bipartisan, quote unquote, or shared government. Well, that started today. Democrats are reaching out to some of these so-called moderate that are liberal Republicans. To see if they can provide the support to do just that. I just read to you all these wonderful rules. These committees need to get started. It doesn’t happen overnight. The White House is already dragging its feet. The fight with the FBI and the Department of Justice and Homeland Security is going to take a united party. It’s going to take a lot of work. And they’re pissing their time away. I’ll be right back.

Hour 1 Segment 4

So, Mr. Producer, I use kamikazes, right. To describe some of these guys before I left. Right. Brother Newt uses it. Brother Trey uses it. Brother, everybody is. I love it. I love it. New Year’s resolutions Still away. Go for it, baby. Why not? Here’s a piece of news. Mack Boner targets Mark Levin. Really crazy, right? You see, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I call him as I see him. And I tell you what I believe. Whatever the reaction, I don’t try and read your minds and try and play to the audience. I try and tell you what I believe from my heart and my soul and my thinking process. And before I came on radio 20 years ago, nobody attacked the so-called establishment. Nobody even called them the establishment. And during an interview, a politico. This is years ago, five years ago, on news Newsmax, Who was the right wing guy? Levin He went really crazy, right, And got a big audience. And he dragged HANNITY to the dark side. He dragged Rush to the dark side. And these guys I used to talk to them all the time, never talked to me. And I never wanted to talk to him. And let me just end this hour. We got two more big, powerful hours coming. We are the conservatives. We are the constitutionalists. We are the ones who are consistent. We are not the politicians. We don’t want committee assignments. We’re not looking for money to run campaigns. We call them straight as we see them. This crap is exactly what it smells like. I’ll be right back.